THUNDERING BLURB » Steven Jacksonhttp://thunderingblurb.com
ANDREW GARDA'S ENDLESS TAKES ON NFL AND COLLEGE FOOTBALLFri, 22 Oct 2010 12:30:31 +0000http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1enhourly1Running Back Blurb Breakdown: Steven Jacksonhttp://thunderingblurb.com/2009/06/running-back-blurb-breakdown-steven-jackson/
http://thunderingblurb.com/2009/06/running-back-blurb-breakdown-steven-jackson/#commentsSat, 27 Jun 2009 01:18:00 +0000adminhttp://thunderingblurb.com/?p=471Steven JacksonI have decided that Jackson is the perfect Fantasy Football Illusion. We all treat him as if he’s a stud and yet he’s only been in the top 10 fantasy-wise once in his five year career.

So what exactly is keeping him ranked this high year after year? Well for starters he DOES produce well despite missing games and suffering through terrible offensive lines and injured QBs. He can catch the ball, break a big run and fight for hard yards.

But the risk is he has only finished a full season once – in 2006 which was the year he was a top fantasy player. That’s telling – but so is how much he’s been hurt.

He’s also facing another season with a questionable Oline and now has a very young and/or inexperienced wide receivers for a weakening Bulger to throw to.

Jackson once again is a back with a ton of potential – but will it be reached or is it merely an illusion we chase every season?

]]>http://thunderingblurb.com/2009/06/running-back-blurb-breakdown-steven-jackson/feed/0Steven Jackson Playinghttp://thunderingblurb.com/2008/11/steven-jackson-playing/
http://thunderingblurb.com/2008/11/steven-jackson-playing/#commentsSun, 02 Nov 2008 16:50:00 +0000adminhttp://thunderingblurb.com/?p=273According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen Steven Jackson is active and will play against Arizona, confirms.He won’t be 100% but the matchup should be good. And they will need him to run and run well in order to keep Bulger upright.
]]>http://thunderingblurb.com/2008/11/steven-jackson-playing/feed/0STEVEN JACKSON OUThttp://thunderingblurb.com/2008/10/steven-jackson-out/
http://thunderingblurb.com/2008/10/steven-jackson-out/#commentsSun, 26 Oct 2008 15:36:00 +0000adminhttp://thunderingblurb.com/?p=255Adam Shefter just reported Steven Jackson is OUT today.

First off, I would like to apologize for the wacky end to last night’s show. Technical glitches threw me off and you can pair that with the chaos of the draft we were trying to do – anyway it was scattered.

We shall be distraction free and glitch free from here on out.

Onto the news and after the passing of Gene Upshaw, let’s start positive:

St. Louis RamsSteven Jackson and the team have agreed in principal to a deal. That sigh of relief was 1,000 owners exhaling. Anyone who saw Jackson slip to them in the latter half of the 1st round could be looking at a huge bargain if the line holds up. Jackson should be productive anyway, but I’d rather he didn’t take the beating he did last year. That goes for Bulger too of course.

Arizona CardinalsWell, here is an IDP note in part because I met the guy, was impressed with how he was approaching the off-season and wish him well. When I met Travis LaBoy here in Los Angeles late last winter, he hadn’t left Tennessee officially yet. He talked a lot about the health problems he had faced in seasons prior to 2007 and how his new approach to working out and staying healthy had paid off – no back problems for one thing. When he signed with teh Cards I thought he was a good addition to the D – and hoped he might have soem IDP value. Unfortunately, he is sitting behind Bertrand Berry and while LaBoy has been productive this preseason – 2 sacks and 4 tackles in the last preseason game – if he’s on a rotating spot on the Defensive Line, well that could limit his consistency and IDP value. If he comes into a chance to start full time I think he will be very productive so keep an ear out for him.

Chicago BearsI’m not sure what – if anything – I should read into this bit of news. But the Chicago Sun Times is reporting Kevin Jones is no lock to make the team. My first thought is – well, as bad as portions of that team are, who is? Second though – the Bears have three RBs besides Jones, so if he is goign to stick with rookie Matt Forte, ‘the other’ Adrian Peterson and Garrett ‘no clever nickname’ Wolfe, he needs to put up some numbers. I think he will stick just because Wolfe and Peterson are not world beaters, Forte is unproven and could wear down even if he is successful and Jones does have talent. But it is interesting to note and is another warning to not count on any of these guys too much.

Buffalo BillsRookie James Hardy is again out with a hamstring injury. He looked ok in his first preseason game, was a non-factor in his second and looks to miss his 3rd. I thought he could be productive thsi year, but it looks like he will struggle as many WRs do their rookei season. (psst. You. Yeah, youin the football jersey. Keep an eye on his fellow rookie Steven Jackson. He might make a case for himself sometime this season. You don’t have to draft him – he’ll be on the waiver wire. Just keep an eye out. The bills still need a threat opposite Lee Evans….) Fellow rookie Leodis McKelvin has made some noise but hasn’t passed Jabari Greer on the depth chart yet, not surprising in many respects. His impact will be limited for soem time in IDP leagues and probably come mostly in the return game.

Carolina PanthersDwayne Jarrett is busy muddying the WR position in Carolina. The Rock Hill Herald reports that he has been playing well enough to push DJ Hackett for the #3 role, one which will be a starting spot while Steve Smith is serving his 2 game team imposed suspension. Hackett has all the talent in the world but can’t stay healthy and this preseason is a perfect example of it. Jarrett stumbled and bumbled through his time at WR so far – both on the field and off of it – but he’s healthy, playing ok and Hackett is hurt. I have Hackett in oneDynasty league and I am starting to think about other uses for that roster spot. Redraft, I just don’t know if he will do anything this year. Keep watch, but he not be worth the early season roster spot.

Cincinnati BengalsTJ Houshmandzadeh will miss Saturday’s preseason game – his third straight. Lewis is reportedly not happy but after the team forced Chris Henry on him again, who would be? He wants to get Housh involved and get him some snaps but doesn’t want to hurry him along and aggravate the injury. Between Chad Johnson, Rudi Johnson and TJ, this starting offense is a *M*A*S*H* unit. And the mopey Alan Alda produced ones near the end, not the wacky early ones. Both Ocho Cinco has slipped in drafts to where in some cases he has been available as a #2 WR. Johnson’s ADP is about mid 3rd and Housh is right there with him, late 2nd, early 3rd. Their health remains an issue but I still say the Henry signing was more about the WRs behind them then their status.

Detroit LionsFinally, rookie RB Kevin Smith is still practicing with the first team. While the jury is still out on the Lions O-line, running game and Smith’s ability to carry the load for a season, this is no shock – he only had to beat Tatum Bell. If there is one guy you want in front of you on the depth chart at the RB position, it’s Bell. It almost guarentees you a shot at the starting job, no matter who you are. Don’t overvalue Smith but he is a starter and that is very valuable. As a #2/flex/bye week filler he coudl be outstanding.

That’s all for now. A reminder that the Blurb will be off the next few days while I am away. Overview of the weekend games will be done on Monday. Tune in to the Drvie Block tonight at 10pm EST/7pm PST and join myself (for hour 1) and Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom of Footballguys.com for more great discussion and tips on how to decimate your league this season.

]]>http://thunderingblurb.com/2008/08/thursday-stampede/feed/0Thursday Morning Stampedehttp://thunderingblurb.com/2008/08/thursday-morning-stampede/
http://thunderingblurb.com/2008/08/thursday-morning-stampede/#commentsThu, 14 Aug 2008 14:54:00 +0000adminhttp://thunderingblurb.com/?p=92You can tell we’re getting to the end of camp and towards proper football when the news deluge becomes a trickle as it has the last few days.

Answers we are still waiting on:

Will Steven Jackson report? Owners in many drafts are banking on him not holding out but with conflicting reports about whether the sides are even talking, it makes me nervous. The longer this goes on without significant movement, the riskier a top 5 (maybe even 10) pick becomes.

Will Jason Peters report? I will say it again – an offensive tackle is just as integral to a good running game as anyone else involved. Peters is the best o-lineman in Buffalo and it’s bad enough he was holding out, but now the team is racked by injury. The value of Marshawn Lynch and that whole offense could hinge on Peters coming back to the fold but like Jackson, no real progress has been made.

How bad is the 49r QB situation? It looks pretty grim and what does that mean for Gore? Keep in mind that Gore has put up good numbers in awful offenses before. How much will Martz control the overall offense vs HC Mike Nolan? Does it matter who wins the job with that group?

Can Tarvaris Jackson progress? It probably won’t matter to Peterson that much, but should to the rest of the team. The Vikes are very close to Super Bowl status. If Jackson can take a significant leap forward, utilize Berrian and Rice to their potential and give Peterson even more room than the O-line does on a play-by-play basis – I would tap them as heading to Tampa Bay.

Will McFadden live up to the hype? People are still kicking themselves for undervaluing Peterson last year and so McFadden has occasionally gone way too early in drafts this year. Peterson was/is a freak and was in a much better situation O-line-wise than McFadden is. we;ve seen soem good play but what does it mean so early? It’d be nice to have been blown away but I am not yet. I still want to know what he can do, an answer I will only get during the season.

What effect will Favre have on the Jets? Here’s an answer we’ll get a glimpse at this weekend when he makes his preseason debut, but from a fantasy perspective there are some questions that will take a few regular season games to answer. Will he open up the offense give Thomas Jones room to run? Will Cotchery and Coles see their numbers go up? Will he be Favre from 2007 or 20006? A lot of owners – myself included – are betting heavy that he has increased the value of this team.

Who is catching balls in Seattle/Jacksonville/Carolina? You could throw in a few other teams but these three will have more value than most of the others you could name. Steve Smith is suspended for two games – will it affect his season overall? Can DJ Hackett stay healthy or is it already too late? Who will fill in as the #2 across from Burleson in the injury decimated Seattle WR corp? Or Jacksonville? As we find these things out, some Hail Mary picks at the end of drafts could have huge value.

I’ll be back later with any news that shows up plus a few things that we definitely know coming to the end of Training Camp.

]]>http://thunderingblurb.com/2008/08/thursday-morning-stampede/feed/0Steven Jackson Correctionhttp://thunderingblurb.com/2008/08/steven-jackson-correction/
http://thunderingblurb.com/2008/08/steven-jackson-correction/#commentsTue, 05 Aug 2008 20:55:00 +0000adminhttp://thunderingblurb.com/?p=70Earlier I reported on the possibility of Steven Jackson losing his unrestricted free agent status if he missed another practice. I should have double checked as it turns out that is untrue. (which I should have remembered from the Terrell Owens Fracas with the Eagles).

From Rotowire:

ESPN’s NFL Live confirmed with the NFL that Steven Jackson could miss up to eight games and still maintain his status as an unrestricted free agent after this season.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has been reporting that Jackson would lose a credited season towards his unrestricted free agency if he didn’t arrive at camp today, but as long as he shows up by week ten, he’ll be credited for the current year.

So there you go, sorry about the misinformation. Blame the Post-Dispatch. I will.

]]>http://thunderingblurb.com/2008/08/steven-jackson-correction/feed/0Tuesday Morning Stampedehttp://thunderingblurb.com/2008/08/tuesday-morning-stampede/
http://thunderingblurb.com/2008/08/tuesday-morning-stampede/#commentsTue, 05 Aug 2008 14:35:00 +0000adminhttp://thunderingblurb.com/?p=68Yesterday, Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy and estranged quarterback Brett Favre met for something on the order of 9 hours or so, longer than expected and wrapping their discussion at about 12:30am EST. Not much is known for sure about the meeting but we know they talked about what a QB controversy and battle might do to team chemistry. We still don’t know what is going on here and there is supposed to be a press conference at some point today.

As the World Turns, These Are The Days of our Lives……

Washington RedskinsYesterday Malcolm Kelly got his knee scoped and today it looks like fellow rookie Devin Thomas is going to miss all the practices this week and the second preseason game. Not a good start for the rookies here. Now word on if Fred Davis has woken up in time for camp or gotten a new alarm clock.

New York JetsThe rookies in this camp are faring much better, as Dustin Keller has been showcasing his talents all camp long and now Vernon Gholston is doing the same. While the Newark Star-Ledger is saying he has had a quiet camp so far, both the blogs at Newsday.com and DailyNews.com have mentioned Gholston being in the backfield many tiems in the day since he has signed his contract. Both players could have an impact – though Gholston’s learning curve and the return of Chris Baker at tight end may limit the upside of both this season.

St Louis RamsSteven Jackson continues to hold out but I think he shows to camp soon. Not because he will get what he wants or cave, but because if he misses one more day of camp, he loses a year towards being an unrestricted free agant, according St Louis Post-Dispatch . He may be willing to lose that if he thinks he can sign an extension but at this point both sides seem pretty far apart.

Baltimore Ravens Wednesday’s episode of The Thundering Blurb Fantasy Football Show will talk about Training Camp battles, but I’ll touch on this one here as well. Rookie Joe Flacco is struggling in camp, overthrowing short passes or throwing them too hard. Touch Passes are important for the Ravens scheme so that’s not good for his starting bid. Flacco has doubters and certainly has holes in his game. He was going to take a year to develop at least. Troy Smith has the edge in camp right now and looks like the starter.

Jacksonville JaguarsI’ve said a few times that tight end Marcedes Lewis will probably get more looks this year than the last few. That was before wideouts started dropping like flies with Porter, Williams and Northcutt hampered by injury. Northcutt is back but now Garrard is giving me cause to continue my Lewis hopes:

“Tight ends are usually my favorite targets,” Garrard said. “They are reliable and always around the middle. I definitely want to get (Lewis’) receptions up and get his play to where he’s one of the elite tight ends in the league.”(Florida Times Union)

He’s not on my list of possible #1 Fantasy tight ends, but he could be on his way to becoming a rock solid #2, which hasn’t been the case since he entered the league.

Green Bay PackersRyan Grant is still holding out and with the Favre-flap (darn, I thought I would get through one of these without that name popping up) who knows when he’ll get what he wants if ever. In the meantime, Brandon Jackson is getting a lot of reps and he’s been looking good. If Grant keeps holding out and Jackson performs well in the preseason, it will cloud the running back position and make it very hard to recommend one of the two in Fantasy drafts. The Packer running back position will have value, no doubt – but choosing one right now could be tough.

By the way, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel the Packers are looking for a 3rd rounder and a body (preferebly a defensive tackle), not the 1st and 4th or 6th that was bandied about last week. This will get done – if Brett will talk to the teams interested.

St Loius Rams With Steven Jackson holding out, Antonio Pittman and Brian Leonard are splitting reps, which is about what you’d expect if Jackson was out for an extended amount of time. Like with Jackson/Grant in Green Bay, it is unclear if either back will be a significant Fantasy value long term unless one stood out.